Russian Foreign Ministry urges Karabakh conflicting sides to immediately resume fulfillment of trilateral agreements

MOSCOW. Sept 20 (Interfax) - Given a sharp escalation of the armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia urges the conflicting sides to stop the bloodshed immediately, to cease the hostilities and to prevent civilian casualties, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website.

"Now the main thing is do is to instantly resume the fulfillment of the trilateral agreements signed at the summit level in 2020-2022, which spell out every step towards a peaceful resolution of the problem, to end the armed confrontation and to take every measure possible to ensure the rights and security of the Nagorno-Karabakh population," the ministry said.

The process of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement "was drastically influenced by Yerevan's recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as a part of the Azerbaijani territory at EU-led summits in October 2022 and May 2023," the ministry said. "That changed the fundamental conditions in which the statement by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia was signed on November 9, 2020, alongside regulations for the Russian peacekeeping contingent," it said.

"The Russian peacekeepers have been diligently fulfilling its duty to ensure the ceasefire implementation and contact between the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides since the moment of its deployment in the region. Our peacekeepers have been coordinating the effort towards an improvement of the situation on the ground and assisted in the establishment of direct dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert. Currently, the peacekeepers are providing medical and other assistance to the civilian population and are conducting evacuation," the ministry said.